Tarragon Chicken En Cocotte

x 1.75 kg/4 lb oven-ready chicken
salt
freshly ground black pepper
50 g/2 oz polyunsaturated margarine
8 fresh tarragon sprigs or 1 teaspoon dried
tarragon
1 tablespoon polyunsaturated vegetable oil
1 °Mon, peeled and sliced
1 carrot, peeled and sliced
1 celery stalk, sliced
450 ml/3/4 pint chicken stock
1 tablespoon cornflour
2 tablespoons medium sherry
2 tablespoons chopped tarragon or parsley
tarragon sprig, to garnish

Rinse the chicken under running cold water, drain €¢ and pat dry with kitchen paper towels. Season the body cavity with salt and pepper and insert 15g/t/ oz of the margarine and half the tarragon. Truss the bird if necessary. Heat the oil and remaining margarine in a flameproof casserole. Place the chicken breast-down in the dish and adjust the heat so that the chicken browns in 3 to 5 minutes but the fat is not hot enough to discolour. Turn the chicken at intervals to brown the sides and then the back; this gentle browning process takes a total of 10 to 15 minutes.

Lift the chicken on to a plate. Add the onion, carrot and celery to the pan and sautee gently for 5 minutes. Sprinkle with a little salt and pepper and add the rest of the tarragon. Replace the bird on top of the vegetables and cover with aluminium foil and a lid. Transfer to a preheated moderate oven 180 °C/350`F, Gas Mark 4) and cook for hour 20 minutes. Pierce the thickest part of the thigh with a metal skewer and if the juices run clear the bird is cooked.

Place the chicken on a hot serving dish, discard any trussing strings and keep hot. Add the stock to the pan and boil for a few minutes, stirring to any sediment from the base of the pan. Skim ff any surface fat. Stir in the cornflour blended

th the sherry and bring to the boil. Stir until it thickens slightly. Adjust the seasoning, and pour the sauce into a hot sauceboat and stir in the chopped herbs. Immediately before serving, garnish the breast of the bird with a sprig of tarragon and spoon over a little of the sauce.

SER VES 4 to 6